Question

At the Head of the Council of Ministers of the State is the Chief Minister, who is the real
Executive Head of the State. In this context, explain the following:

His relationship with the Council of Ministers.

Answer 1

The Chief Minister is at the helm of affairs in the Council of Ministers. Following are some of the salient features of the equation between the Chief Minister and the Council of Ministers:

• The ministers in the Council are appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Chief Minister. Even the portfolios are distributed among the ministers on the basis of the preferences of the Chief Minister
• The Chief Minister can ask any of his colleagues to resign and has the power to reconfigure his Ministry as and when he thinks prudent. If a minister refuses to resign even after a direction to the effect from the Chief Minister, the latter may request the Governor to dismiss the former.
• It is the Chief Minister who presides over the meetings of the State Cabinet and determines the agenda of such meetings. He also decides which proposals to accept and which to reject for discussion.
• Since several Ministers and officials are involved in the formulation and execution of policies, the Chief Minister coordinates the whole gamut of government administration.